User blog:BeastMan14/Best Films of My Life, 1997-2018
Film has always been a crucial part of my life, to the point where the only time an infant me sat totally still was when my parents put on a movie for me to watch. So, what better way for me to signal my shift into adulthood than by listing the best film from each year of my life, all the way from birth to the big 2-1. Without further ado, let's get into it. 1997: Good Will Hunting Gus Van Sant as a director is often criticized for his lack of emotion and focus more on artistic filmmaking over character, but after the emotional rollercoaster that is this film, I'm willing to cut him some slack. Perhaps it's the script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that perfectly encapsulates a life of wasted potential and old friendships, or maybe it's the career-best work from both Matt Damon and Robin Williams, but Good Will Hunting ends up being one of the most moving and personal films I've ever seen. Best Scene: "It's Not Your Fault" Honorable Mentions: *''Titanic'' *''Men in Black'' *''Liar Liar'' 1998: Saving Private Ryan Perhaps Spielberg's last truly great film, Saving Private Ryan is a harrowing, brutal experience that grabs you from it's opening moments and sticks with you long after it's credits have rolled. It's a film that easily could've overplayed it's hand and beat us over the head with emotional manipulation, but it often, wisely, hangs back, allowing us to empathize with and root for it's characters with what little we see of them, from Tom Hanks's stoic Captain Miller to the inexperienced and cowardly Corporal Upham, making each firefight a nailbiter and each death sting particularly hard. A truly epic experience that I don't think will ever be topped. Best Scene: "D-Day" Honorable Mentions: *''The Truman Show'' *''American History X'' *''Pleasantville'' 1999: Fight Club As much a deconstruction of macho buddy movies as it is one of the definitive examples, Fight Club is a film that often gets dismissed because of it's largely shallow fanbase that fails to recognize how brilliant a film it can truly be. Headlined by two borderline career-best performances from Edward Norton and Brad Pitt and shot with a brilliant, perpetually uneasy, eye by David Fincher, the film perfectly portrays the feeling of loss of purpose and soulless corporatism that swept through, and continues to sweep through, the generation, while packing one of the most iconic twists of all time. Best Scene: "You're Mr. Durden" Honorable Mentions: *''The Matrix'' *''The Iron Giant'' *''Toy Story 2'' 2000: Almost Famous Despite the countless flaws of it's headline band and the crew that follow them, Almost Famous is a perfect love letter to music, and especially the rock and roll scene of the 70s. While Kate Hudson (rightfully) earned praise for her incredible turn as damaged groupie Penny Lane, the entire cast is strong, from scene stealers like Phillip Seymour Hoffman to the clashing egos of Billy Crudup and Jason Lee, whose (darkly comedic) band destroying feud nearly steals the show. And what a funny, sweet, show it is. Best Scene: "The (Almost) Plane Crash)" Honorable Mentions: *''Gladiator'' *''American Psycho'' *''X-Men'' 2001-2003: The Lord of the Rings trilogy Hard to discuss on their own, the Lord of the Rings films may be the greatest filmmaking achievement of the 21st century. Filmed back-to-back on a budget of almost $300 million, Peter Jackson's adaptation of the classic book series has everything a true film fan could ask for: beautiful locations, excellent performances, and absolutely stunning battle sequences that still hold up after 15 years. Epic, sweeping, and totally unforgettable. Best Scene: Too many to count, from the fall of Gandalf to the battle of Helm's Deep to those final beautiful moments over Mt. Doom. Honorable Mentions (2001): *''Monster's Inc'' *''Training Day'' *''Black Hawk Dawn'' Honorable Mentions (2002): *''Catch Me If You Can'' *''Spider-Man'' *''8 Mile'' Honorable Mentions (2003): *''Finding Nemo'' *''Kill Bill Vol. 1'' *''The Last Samurai'' 2004: Spider-Man 2 Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy hasn't aged entirely well, but it's hard to deny how strong Spider-Man 2 is, and continues to be. Tearing Peter Parker apart piece by piece, 2 makes his moments of heroism and kindness all the more triumphant, and it succeeds especially well by pitting him against Alfred Molina's tragic, brilliant Otto Octavius, one of the best comic book film villains in recent memory. Until last year's Homecoming, it was hard to imagine a take on the webslinger as good as this. Best Scene: "Peter Stops the Train" Honorable Mentions: *''The Incredibles'' *''Kill Bill Vol. 2'' *''Hotel Rwanda'' 2005: Sin City While not necessarily the greatest comic book adaptation, it's hard to find one that more faithfully recreates the source material than Sin City. A bitter, brutal tale of cops, killers, femme fatales, and corruption, the film perfectly recreates the stories written by Frank Miller in stunning black-and-white that truly pops off the screen. Each tale is anchored by strong, career-best work from the likes of Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Jessica Alba, fleshing out some of the most memorable film antiheroes in recent memory as their stories come to bloody, often tragic ends. Best Scene: "Hartigan's Choice" Honorable Mentions: *''Brick'' *''Walk the Line'' *''Batman Begins'' 2006: The Departed While it's Best Picture win is often derided as a "career Oscar" for Martin Scorsese, any subsequent viewing of The Departed reveals a film that absolutely stands on it's own merits. As the master of the genre, Scorsese tightly crafts a film dripping with tension as we cut between the story of two men deep undercover, one an Irish mobster working as a cop while a rookie cop works to bring down the same organization from the inside. Alliances shift almost as audience sympathies as the film builds to an absolute bloodbath of a climax, with the survivor ultimately as defeated as everyone he supposedly outsmarted. Best Scene: "The Chinatown Pursuit" Honorable Mention: *''Children of Men'' *''Casino Royale'' *''Pan's Labryinth'' 2007: No Country for Old Men If Departed was a modernization of the classic gangster film, No Country for Old Men is the modernization of the western by the way of The Searchers: A harrowing, dark road movie where evil is an unrelenting force and good is ultimately incapable of even slowing it down. The struggle is embodied perfectly by Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh, a cold, almost alien hitman who tears through everything in his path and fills every scene with a sickening tension (helped by the excellent work of Roger Deakins, who even gives brightly lit scenes a sense of immediate discomfort), even with a horrendous haircut. Best Scene: "Anton at the Gas Station" Honorable Mention: *''Hot Fuzz'' *''Ratatouille'' *''Zodiac'' 2008: The Dark Knight The Dark Knight is so many things. A thrilling character study of good vs evil. A War on Terror commentary through the lens of superheroics. An incredibly well-executed action film. Most of all, it's an easy contender for the greatest comic book movie of all time, featuring one of the genre's most memorable characters: Heath Ledger's Joker, a self-proclaimed "agent of chaos" whose true motives are as uncertain as his backstory. Ledger deserves every inch of praise, but you can't ignore how excellent the film is on every level. The cast, the score, and Nolan's epic direction all come together to create a film that has left the entire industry scrambling to catch up, for better or worse. Best Scene: "The Convoy Ambush" Honorable Mentions: *''Iron Man'' *''In Bruges'' *''Gran Torino'' 2009: District 9 The ultimate point of sci-fi is to say something about the world we currently inhabit, and no sci-fi film in the 21st century understands that like Neil Blomkamp's directorial debut District 9. Using still standing feelings of racism and xenophobia as a backdrop to the alien-infested slums of Johannesburg, the film centers on Wikus van de Merwe, played wonderfully by Sharlto Copley, who goes from a charming if amoral pencil pusher to a scrappy, desperate sympathizer as he works alongside the Prawns, immensely memorable and sympathetic creatures that simply wish to return home. Part ET, part Robocop, District 9 is sci-fi at it's most original and moving. Best Scene: "Wikus's Surprise Party" Honorable Mentions: *''Watchmen'' *''Inglorious Basterds'' *''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' 2010: The Social Network A film that gets more important and prescient with every passing day, The Social Network is a story both about the founding of Facebook and the tragic descent of it's founders into betrayal and greed. Framing the story by a compelling series of lawsuits, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin play with audience sympathies by shifting perspectives, leaving them uncertain who to root for by the film's end. This is helped by the strength of the main cast, all of whom give career-best performances, with special praise going to Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, who each gave turns that showcased the immense potential showcased by both relatively inexperienced actors. Best Scene: "Eduardo Confronts Mark" Honorable Mentions: *''Inception'' *''How to Train Your Dragon'' *''Scott Pilgrim vs the World'' 2011: Drive Neo-noir in it's pulpiest, most violent form, Drive is a film that resembles it's protagonist, played with stoic fury by Ryan Gosling: a film that showcases a cool, often quiet aura before curving into stomach-churning, stylized violence with little warning. For every chase scene, there's a brutal shootout or elevator fight that leaves the audience as stunned as the characters within the film. All of this is shot with a steady hand by Nicolas Refn, who often leaves much of the emotion unsaid, lingering on the faces of the characters as the film plays out in gory, tragic fashion, ending the only way thrillers like this can: bloodshed, and with the future uncertain. Best Scene: "The Opening Chase" Honorable Mentions: *''Moneyball'' *''Warrior'' *''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' 2012: The Avengers There was a crazy time where people weren't sure if The Avengers would work. A bunch of c-list comic book characters coming together after years of interconnected storytelling built to it? C'mon, it's crazy talk. But thanks to the excellent, immensely likable cast and the directing/writing work of geek wunderkind Joss Whedon, it led to a film that leaves even the most cynical nerds feeling like children again. It's bright, funny, full of heart and great character moments, and an immensely important piece of entertainment that led to a variety of imitators, none of whom can top the master. Best Scene: "Iron Man vs Thor" Honorable Mentions: *''Skyfall'' *''The Master'' *''Lincoln'' 2013: Her Better known was "The movie about the guy who falls in love with his phone", Her overcame what could've been a silly premise to craft one of the most moving and original love stories of all time. While Spike Jonze's eye for detail in painting a future that seems certain but not too drab plays a part, it's helped by it's two leads, who give career-best performances. Joaquin Pheonix plays himself with a laid-back, emotionally sensitive demeanor unlike any performance he's done previously, while Scarlett Johansson uses only her voice to create a curious, loving figure that never becomes a "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" archetype. From beginning to end, Her paints a picture of something rarely seen: a happy future where maybe, just maybe everything will be okay. Best Scene: "Theodore meets his Ex" Honorable Mentions: *''Inside Llewlyn Davis'' *''The Wolf of Wall Street'' *''Pacific Rim'' 2014: Whiplash The ultimate cautionary tale about the dangers of success and pushing your limits, Whiplash is ultimately centered on two fantastic performances. One from Miles Teller, whose initial arrogance is mixed with desperation and frustration, creating a compelling antihero to balance off of JK Simmons, a monstrous figure who devours every scene he's in and leaves the audience in as much suspense as his band members, but gives off several moments of rare sympathy that leave you questioning his motives. All of this is shot with razor-sharp intensity by Damian Chazelle, who takes something as simple as jazz music and turns it into an edge-of your-seat thrilling battle of wills between two equally determined figures, with an ending that feels like an ultimately hollow victory. Best Scene: "The Final Concert" Honorable Mentions: *''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' *''Guardians of the Galaxy'' *''Boyhood'' 2015: Mad Max: Fury Road The greatest action film of the 21st century, Mad Max: Fury Road is a totally refreshing blockbuster, one focusing on character and entirely practical effects rather than meaningless CGI brawls and one-dimensional heroes and villains. A beautifully shot, two-hour long chase sequence, Fury Road flows from gorgeously shot action scene to action scene, barely stopping to let you breathe as the film works to one-up itself. Full of thrills, memorable characters, and breathtaking visuals, Fury Road is a once-in-a-generation film that is a miracle to witness. Best Scene: "The Sandstorm" Honorable Mentions: *''Ex Machina'' *''Kingsmen: The Secret Service'' *''Creed'' 2016: The Nice Guys A criminally underappreciated caper, The Nice Guys is a slick, hilarious buddy comedy featuring two charming performances by Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe. Set in a pitch-perfect recreation of 70's Detroit, the film takes the inspired duo of Holland March, an alcoholic detective, and Jackson Healy, a charming, if blunt, private enforcer, through the sleaziest industries of the day, from pornography to politics to the auto industry, as they attempt to find the daughter of a high-ranking Justice Department official before sinister forces do. Written with Shane Black's usual quirks, the Nice Guys is funny, likable, and a genuinely clever mystery, making it all the more frustrating audiences failed to come out for it. Best Scene: "March Finds A Dead Body" Honorable Mentions: *''Captain America: Civil War'' *''Hell or High Water'' *''Zootopia'' 2017: Logan Logan is the crown jewel of the superhero films this decade and potentially the greatest superhero film of all time. It's so many things at once; A road movie, a neo-western, a character study about an old killer coming to terms with violence, but most importantly, it's a chance for a career-best Hugh Jackman to give a blood and tears soaked send-off to the character of Wolverine while giving newcomer (and scene-stealer Dafne Keen) a chance to continue the legacy. Just brilliant and satisfying from start to finish. Best Scene: "Dinner with the Munsons" Honorable Mentions: *''The Shape of Water'' *''Good Time'' *''Blade Runner 2049'' Category:Blog posts